Other long-serving diplomats have chosen to quit rather than work for Trump

Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

The Trump administration began cleaning house Thursday in the State Department by ousting four top officials.

They are Undersecretary for Management Patrick Kennedy, two assistant secretaries, Joyce Barr and Michele Bond, and Gentry Smith, who heads the department's Office of Foreign Missions, NBC News has confirmed.

Two State Department officials confirmed to NBC News that Bond had intended to stay on into the next administration. Now her last day is Friday.

The departure of the quartet means President Trump must fill more posts— and comes on the heels of the departures of other long-serving diplomats who have chosen to quit rather than serve in the new Republican administration.